Beth's Surprise
by jazznsmoke
Summary: Rick hadn't meant to forget, but he did. He's grateful that Daryl is their best friend, otherwise he wouldn't ever be out of the doghouse.


Rick forgot. It wasn't intentional, but he had. He thankfully caught his mistake soon enough that he didn't screw up his relationship. Hell, she didn't even know that he had forgotten, and he planned on keeping it that way. He wanted to blame it on work, it's always crazy as hell there, especially with a couple of guys out for vacation, but that wasn't it. He could also blame it on his teenage son, toddler daughter and their newborn baby boy, but that wasn't really it either. If he was perfectly honest, he could admit that he was just a dumbass and had forgotten. But, thankfully, his best friend, Daryl, had reminded him and saved his goddamn bacon, so to speak.

It helped that Daryl happened to be Beth's best friend too, they'd known each other longer than Rick had known Beth. She was the reason he could even call Daryl his best friend. He'd had run in's with Daryl's brother before- He'd carted him off to jail more than once. But had only glimpsed the younger Dixon.

Daryl had texted him, reminded him that they were meeting at Terminus for drinks after they both had finished up their day at work. Rick had gotten there first, which was unusual. He usually ended up having to stay late and catch up on paperwork, but that day Shane had offered to cover him. Unusual, especially given they weren't as close as they once were, after Shane had married Lori and their subsequent divorce. They had mended some of the fences once Shane and Lori divorced, and further after Lori had passed away. Nothing could bring them back to before Lori, though.

Rick ordered for himself and for Daryl, knowing that even though he had gotten there first, Daryl wouldn't be too far behind. Once Daryl did get there, the generally monosyllabic hunter, couldn't stop talking.

"Hershel's got the house all set up, ya just got to keep Beth away for the rest of the week, so she don't see any of the decorations. And, also, you should find a sitter for Ghost Rider, I figure maybe Carl can stay home with Little A?"

"Wait, Daryl, slow down, would ya? I don't have a clue what you're talking about." Rick held a hand up, the universal sign for 'stop'.

Daryl grunted; exasperation written clearly on his face. He rolled his eyes. "Did you get hit in the head at work today, or something? We've been planning this shit for months."

"No, I didn't. Now, what in the hell are you talking about?"

Daryl glared at him, and Rick felt an intense amount of discomfort accompany the look he was given. He had a feeling he was severely fucking up, somehow. He thought over the conversation, searched his memory for the date, and shifted uncomfortably under Daryl's scrutiny. "Oh, shit."

"Ya caught up now, dumbass?" Daryl continued to glare.

Rick gulped audibly. "Fuck, yeah. I'm a goddamn idiot, man. I can't believe I forgot about Beth's birthday."

"No shit. Ya'll've been together way to long to not remember that shit."

Rick ran his hand over his face, sighing heavily. "I agree,"

With a roll of his eyes, Daryl continued, recounting all the plans he had made so far.

Rick's eyes didn't leave Beth's face as he pulled the car over just outside of town. "You trust me?"

Her eyes twinkled in amusement. "I wouldn't have married you, otherwise, Mr. Grimes,"

He snorted in response, "Fair enough, iMrs./iGrimes," He paused, eyes roaming her face before reaching a hand into his pocket and pulling free a blindfold. "Do you trust me enough to allow me this secret?"

"Always, Rick," Her voice came out a breathy whisper that sent shivers down his spine.

He nodded once before motioning for her to turn just enough to easily slip the blindfold on and secure it behind her head. He waved his hands in front of her eyes, and when she didn't move, he pulled away. He restarted the car.

He drove aimlessly for 20 minutes before he headed the correct direction of their destination. He would be lying if he didn't glance over at her every few moments, checking that she wasn't peeking and that she was still okay with being blindfolded.

It was oddly erotic, the sight of her blindfolded, and the fact that she was so willing to allow it. He had to continuously force his mind away from the thoughts, reminding himself that now isn't the time to be thinking about taking her to bed and what they could do with a blindfold or any other toys.

He sighed in relief as they approached the Greene farm, he slowed his car to a crawl at the edge of the driveway, hoping like hell that Beth wouldn't realize he was taking them down a dirt drive, to her childhood home. He turned the volume up slightly on the radio, and silently thanked the higher powers that Hershel insisted on raking the drive and filling any potholes immediately.

The time that it took Rick to pull into the driveway and finally pull his car to a stop right at the end of the driveway felt like forever. Realistically, he knew it was only a few minutes, but time was crawling. He took half a second to look around the yard and his breath was stolen from him a second time that day. The yard was almost as beautiful as the woman next to him. It was obvious that everyone had put a lot of effort into transforming the yard.

"I'm going to come around to your side and help you out. You'll be able to see your surprise in just a few moments," His words came out as almost a whisper. Something within him hesitated to talk at a normal volume. Before she had a chance to respond he had his door opened and he left the car, crossing to the other side. His eyes roamed the yard, now taking in more details than he had at first glance. Finally, his eyes rested on the group of people standing on the farm's porch. He nodded to them and pulled the passenger door open. He took Beth's small hand in his own and helped her to climb out. He took a few steps forward with her arm tucked into the crook of his. He watched in amusement as everyone on the porch silently walked down to stand on the grass.

He pulled Beth close to him and pressed a kiss to her temple, right above the blindfold. He whispered closer to her ear, "Ready?"

She nodded, a quirk to her lips.

He reached up and took the blind fold off. His eyes didn't leave her face as she blinked, taking in the sight before them. She looked dazed as the group of family and friends a dozen feet away smiled and clapped as they yelled "Surprise".

Rick watched Beth's face as she took in the sight of her family farm. The Greene's had placed a pop-up tent in the center of the grassy front yard. The white roof of it was covered in twinkling faery lights, as was the wraparound porch of the farmhouse. A small fire was under way in a pit a little way back from the tent. A couple of tables were set up with food. If Rick had to guess, it was all Beth's favorite foods. He had to admit that the faery lights made the farmhouse look like something out of a story book, and it was beautiful.

"This. This is so amazing, Rick," She sounded amazed and in awe. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her tight against his side.

"This was Daryl's doing, more than mine. I can't take much of the credit," He chuckled.

He led her across the yard and to their friends and family. He was more than a little impressed by the turn out. But, then again, Beth was loved by anyone that she met. Daryl, Dale, Andrea and her sister Amy, Michonne, Annette and Hershel, Maggie and her husband, Glenn, Shawn and his wife, Tammy, and more were all there to celebrate his wife's birthday. He was honestly really surprised to see Maggie and Shawn, and their other halves had made it, as they had moved out of state, and weren't often able to make it home except for holidays and major events, like when their son had been born.

There was a bounce to Beth's step as she beelined for her brother and sister. The older Greene kids wrapped their younger sister in a giant group hug, and he knew that if nothing else, at least that was a success.

Rick smiled to himself as he watched the three fondly, before he went towards Hershel, hugging the older man. "Thank you for making this possible, Hershel."

Hershel had shaken his head and told Rick that it was his absolute pleasure to do something like this for his youngest.

After he had chatted with Hershel and Annette for a while, he made his way over to Daryl. The hunter stood a distance away from the others, by the firepit. The hunter seemed to be watching the group of people socializing and his eyes kept flitting over to Beth. Rick noticed quickly that every time Daryl's eyes wandered to Beth, he had a slight smile on his face. To anyone that didn't know the hunter well, it could be considered nothing but a smirk.

Rick nudged Daryl with his shoulder, a grin on his face. "Man, this is even better than what I could have imagined. You've outdone yourself."

Daryl allowed for his hair to fall in his face, covering any sign of emotions. "Your family, both of ya. Besides, if I didn't take care of it, you would have fucked up and forgotten."

He laughed; "That's true, brother. I would have. I almost did."

The night wound down with the group sitting around the fire and telling stories about Beth, to her mortification. Rick stayed by her side, occasionally rubbing a hand along her back in reassurance, or wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Sometimes, she just tilted her head and leaned against him. While the attention was focused on a story Hershel told, Rick reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box and wordlessly handed it to Beth. The blonde looked at him with curiosity in her eyes before she opened the box. It was a heart shaped locket with the word 'mom' engraved on the front. Inside he had placed a picture of Carl, on one side and then a picture of their two youngest, Judith and Grant, on the other. The back of the locket had an inscription in tiny letters. "Blood isn't always what matters, to us, you are our mom, no doubt." The inscription had come from Carl, not long after Rick and Beth had married. He had taken to calling Beth mom with out any qualms, especially for the sake of not confusing his younger siblings.

Tears welled up and fell down Beth's cheeks, as she read the inscription on the back, in the light of the fire. Rick wrapped his arms around Beth and held her close. She whispered into his ear, "Best birthday, ever,"


End file.
